Electrical uncapping-knife



H. C. SWANN. ELECTRICAL UNCAPPING KNIFE. APPLICATION FILED MAY I1. i920.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

Hem-'H E Ew a'nn UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY C. SWANN, 0F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR T0 G. 0F WATERTOWN, WISCONSINI B. LEWIS COMPANY,

ELECTRICAL UNCAPPING-KNIFE.

Application led May 11,

To all autom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY C. SwANN, a citizen ofthe United States, and resident of Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Uncapping-Knives; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof. n

My invention pertains to apiar'ianf sup.- plies, and relates to new and useful improvements in unca ping knives.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, it is well .known that honey combs can be more readily uncapped by lmeans of a heated knife than one which is cold. Therefore it is a primary object of this invention to provide a knife having a simple and eflicient means for continuously heating the same during operation thereof.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide simply constructed electrically heated uncapping knives, the parts of which may be readily assembled or disassembled.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 represents a part elevational and part sectional view of an uncapping. knife constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view taken substantially on the plane of the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, parts being broken away and in section.

Fig. 3 is a detail transverse sectional view on the plane of the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the different parts of the knife.

From this drawing it will be seen that 1n its preferred embodiment this knife in general outline is trowel shaped and as customary includes a blade, handle and a shank connecting these two parts. However, in applying the features of this invention to an uncapping knife, the shape and arrangement of the various parts is relatively immaterial, therefore various departures may be made from the illustrated construction without changing the principles of the invention or losing any of the advantages.

From a particular examination of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921. 1920. Serial No. 380,526.

per surface of the blade 1. From Figs. 1, 3 i

and 4, it will be seen that this compartment extends from the shank end of the blade 1 to a point spaced from the pointed end and is 0f a width considerably less than'the width of said blade. In transverse thickness the compartment 4 is only sufficient to house and insul form of electric resistance units 5.

As is customary in such units the body consists of a strip of mica or other insulating material having a resisfance wire wound therearound.

n the present instance the opposite ends of the resistance wire are secured to flat conducting plates 6 having the ends of current conducting-wires 7 soldered or otherwise attached thereto. These conducting plates or strips 6 are located at the shank end of the blade 1 and the portions of the current conducting wires 7 thereadjacent are within the hollow 3 of said shank.

The handle 8 of my improved tool includes a pair of substantially and preferably semicylindrical blocks 9 and 9` which, when fitted together are assembled within the jacket sleeve 10. The shank 2 has a laterally extending attaching plate 11 which is adapted to be secured as at 12 to the inner or contacting face of the upper handle block In other words this attaching plate 11, when the parts are assembled, is located between the handle blocks 9. and -9 and is secured to the former, the lower handle 9 having one end engaged with the adjacent portion of the shank 2 and the hollow part 3 thereof.

Also this lower handle block 9 is provided with a passageway 13 through which the current conducting wires 7 are extended from the hollow shank to the inner'ends of the contact blades 14, these blades being secured as at 15 to the handle block 9. The outer ends of the contact blades 14 project ate a pair of heating elements in the into a socket 16 provided in the ends of the handle blocks opposite the endsl thereof which engage the shank 2.

An electric socket plug 17 is adapted to be disposed in the socket 16 and receive the contact blades 14 as shown in Fig. 1. In this manner electricity may flow from conducting wires 18 which carry the plug 17 to and through the heating elements. in the compartment 4 of the blade.

By utilization of electricity for heating `the uncapping knife, the same may be relatively small and compact, and the proper degree of heatingv can be applied thereto throughout the uncapping operations, it being therefore unnecessary to frequently heat the knives as is now customary. In using the knife, the blade while heated is drawn across the sides of the honey combs to remove the wax cappings from the surface thereof. After such removal of the cappings, the honey may be readily extracted from the combs without injury to the latter in a centrifugal extractor.

I claim:

1. In a tool of the class described, a cutting blade, a heating element carried by the blade, a hollow shank extending from the cutting blade, a lateral attaching plate on the shank, a housin covering said heating element and former? integral with said attaching plate, a longitudinally split handle forming a pair of handle blocks, one end of the handle having a plug socket, the other end of the handle having said attaching plate disposed between the blocks and secured to one of them, current conducting Wires extending from the heating element through the hollow shank and one of the handle blocks, contact members disposed between the blocks and having the wires connected therewith, said Contact members being extended into the socket, and means for retaining the blocks together.

2. In a tool of the class described, a longitudinal split handle having a pair of superposed handle blocks removably secured together, a cutting blade in offset relation to the handle, a hollow shank'connecting the blade with the handle, a heating element carried by the blade, a plug socket in the outer end of the handle having contact members therein, current conducting wires eX- tendin from the heating element through the hol ow shank and the lower handle block and connected with said contact members, and a closure for said hollow shank and a housing for said heating element when said handle blocks are secured together, said closure and housing being attached to the upper handle block and removable therewith.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington.

HENRY C. SWANN. 

